Edgartown Voters to Confront Increases in School Spending

By MIKE SECCOMBE

Edgartown residents will be presented with a proposed operating
budget increase of some 5.4 per cent, and ballot questions costing a
total of about $3.9 million at the April 10 town meeting.

Total expenditures for the pending fiscal year, however, are
projected to increase only $245,000, or 0.8 per cent over the current
fiscal year, due to a 30 per cent reduction in requested articles this
year.

Morton Fearey, chairman of the town's financial advisory
committee, said the reduction in requests by some $1.7 million is the
major good news in this year's budgetary process.

While the town's strong financial situation requires no
general override under Proposition 2 1/2, the eight ballot questions on
meeting warrant would, if all passed, see temporary overrides resulting
in tax increases totaling $100,000.

The largest items are $1.5 million for extension of the town sewer,
and $1.55 million to purchase land for a cemetery, open space and other
purposes. Debt exclusions would fund these proposals.

A variety of smaller expenditures would fund a new concrete boat
ramp on Chappaquiddick ($48,000), the dredging program ($221,488), work
on town streets and sidewalks ($130,000 and $105,000 respectively), the
construction of a Meshacket Road bike path ($279,400) and the
town's contribution to the Dukes County Regional Housing Authority
($61,921).

The printed warrant contains 67 articles, but at a March 19 meeting,
the selectmen agreed to add one more, the provision of $12,000 for two
floats and a gangway to extend the finger piers at the wharf.

In the financial advisory committee report at the beginning of the
warrant, Mr. Fearey said close collaboration between the committee,
selectmen and departments had resulted in the committee being far more
likely to recommend than not recommend specific budgets and articles.

Indeed, only one of 67 printed warrant articles - the proposed
Meshacket Road bike path - was not recommended. Three others were
neither recommended nor not recommended.

The total appropriations requested by the financial committee for
fiscal year 2008, which starts July 1, is $23,958,202. That's a
5.4 per cent increase on last year's $22,725,133.

The increase in general government costs - the various town
boards and departments - is more modest, increasing about 2.75
per cent, to about $1.736 million.

The largest increases in dollar terms are in education, which is
slated to take up more than one-third of the total budget, at almost
$8.165 million. This is an increase of some $335,500 over the previous
year, and the major extra cost is in school department salaries, which
are up about $240,000.

The other big jump is group insurance costs; projections are up
almost a quarter of a million dollars over the previous year, to a total
of just over $3.5 million. The town share of health insurance is up
about $180,000 and town share of medicare up almost $30,000.

In general, expenses have held steady, while salary costs have
increased. The budget document notes that salaries and wages recommended
by the personnel board and financial advisory committee reflect a 4.2
per cent cost-of-living allowance for full-time workers and a 3.2 per
cent increase for part-time workers.

Town financial reserves continue to be strong. Free cash for the
fiscal year beginning July 1, 2006 stands at nearly $1.24 million, and
the stabilization fund is also about $1.24 million.

Free cash is surplus revenue, the amount by which cash, accounts
receivable and other floating assets exceed liabilities and reserves.

The town also will ask voters to transfer a further quarter million
dollars from free cash to the stabilization fund. That fund is a reserve
fund set up by town meeting from which appropriations may be made for
any purpose, on a two-thirds vote.